page_title: Western Desert campaign
section_title: Siege of Tobruk
hierarchical_section_title: Western Desert campaign / 1941 / Siege of Tobruk
caption_attribution_description: English: Commonwealth Forces in North Africa Indian troops man a Bren gun on an anti-aircraft mounting, Western Desert, 18 April 1941.
context_page_description: The Western Desert campaign, took place in the deserts of Egypt and Libya and was the main theatre in the North African campaign of the Second World War. Military operations began in June 1940 with the Italian declaration of war and the Italian invasion of Egypt from Libya in September. Operation Compass, a British five-day raid in December 1940, led to the destruction of the Italian 10th Army. Benito Mussolini sought help from Adolf Hitler, who sent a small German force to Tripoli under Directive 22. The Afrika Korps was formally under Italian command as Italy was the main Axis power in the Mediterranean and North Africa.
  In the spring of 1941, Rommel led Operation Sonnenblume which pushed the Allies back to Egypt except for the Siege of Tobruk at the port. At the end of 1941 the Axis forces were defeated in Operation Crusader and retired again to El Agheila. In early 1942 Axis forces drove the Allies back again, then captured Tobruk after the Battle of Gazala but failed to destroy their opponents.
context_section_description: Tobruk was defended by a force of some 25,000 Eighth Army troops, well stocked with supplies and linked to Egypt by the Royal Navy. The garrison had armoured cars and captured Italian tanks, which could raid Axis supply convoys as they passed Tobruk for the frontier, which made it impossible for the Axis to invade Egypt. Rommel immediately attempted to take the port but  the 9th Australian division (General Leslie Morshead), defended the port resolutely. The Italians were slow to provide blueprints for the port fortifications and several attacks were repulsed. After three weeks Rommel suspended the attacks and resumed the siege. Italian infantry divisions took up positions about the fortress while the bulk of the Afrika Korps maintained a mobile position south and east of the port.
caption: Indian troops man a Bren gun on an anti-aircraft mounting, Western Desert, 18 April 1941.
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